Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the
Askja caldera
, from near where the F902 continues towards
Kverkfjöll;
; heading
inland from Egilsstaðir, Route 910 heads towards
Snæfell
(en route to Karahnjúkar, see
p.280), before becoming the F910 and kinking northwest to join the F88, while the
Fjallabak route
(F208) runs behind the south coast's ice caps (see box, p.116).
GETTING AROUND THE INTERIOR
The majority of Interior routes - any prefaced by an “F”, as in “F26” - are accessible only by
four-wheel-drive vehicles
.
Several routes are covered by bus tours through the summer, but any self-driving, cycling or hiking trip must be carefully
planned. Never underestimate the
extreme conditions
, climatic and geological, which you may encounter en route;
you'll also need some previous experience of tackling
glacial river crossings
. Read the relevant sections in Basics on
pp.30-32, and take everything you'll need with you, including a recent map plus sat-nav or a compass - at times it can be
di
cult to determine a route where several sets of car tracks meet.
By bus
There are four bus tours into the Interior in
summer: across Sprengisandur; across Kjölur; to Askja; and
to Kverkfjöll. They don't necessarily run every day, and
schedules and prices are given with the relevant accounts.
Note that it's possible to hop off the buses at any of their
stops - there's at least one hut and campsite on each route
- and rejoin the service another day.
By car
Essential equipment includes a tow rope, shovel,
basic spare parts and enough mechanical knowledge to
change a tube and fix most common engine problems.
Travel in groups of two or more vehicles, and carry plenty of
fuel, as consumption in low-range gears can be half as
much again as on well-surfaced roads. Note that off-track
driving is illegal in order to minimize erosion, and carries
substantial fines. Most rental vehicles are not allowed into
the Interior (even along the relatively good Kjölur track); in
addition no vehicle, four-wheel-drive or otherwise, is
insured for accidents or breakdowns encountered when
crossing a river.
Cycling and hiking
The only Interior route that cyclists
and hikers can tackle unaided is the Kjölur track, whose
major rivers are bridged. If you're planning on using other
routes, you'll have to hitch rides over the more di
cult
rivers with passing transport, so will probably spend longer
on your journey than you intended - making it all the more
vital that you carry surplus food and water.
8
Sprengisandur: Route F26
Featuring the most desolate terrain found in Iceland,
Sprengisandur
is the bleak highland
desert east between
Hofsjökull
- the rounded icecap marking Iceland's geographical centre
- and Vatnajökull's northwestern front. Although providing something of a corridor in
Viking times between Iceland's northeastern settlements and the summer parliament at
Þingvellir, crossing Sprengisandur was always a tough journey, the desert flooded in
spring with melting snow and ice, yet too dry in summer to provide any grazing for
horses. Indeed, most travellers preferred to take much longer coastal roads, and
Sprengisandur was eventually abandoned as a route during the thirteenth century.
Traversed today by the
F26
, which begins northeast of Hekla and runs some 244km
to the Ringroad at Goðafoss, the Sprengisandur route remains a challenging one,
whose unbridged rivers and stark scenery provide an insight into medieval Iceland's
harsh living conditions. Sprengisandur's southern gateway is marked by Hekla (see
p.114), north of which is the desolate, icy plateau between Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull.
The enduring image here is of nothingness: the glaciers and mountains that fringe the
horizon seem a long way of, and the space in between is filled with mile after mile of
grey sand, stones and rocks that have lain untouched for thousands of years.
Nýidalur
Nýidalur
, site of a campsite and hut, occupies a lonely, cold and windswept spot at
800m, right on the base of
Tungnafellsjökull
's tiny, isolated ice cap. The Nýidalur valley
leads southeast around the glacier from here towards Vatnajökull, only 20km distant;
while well away to the west below Hofsjökull are the
Þjórsárver
wetlands, breeding
grounds for a healthy population of pink-footed geese.
